Birgit Hesse (SPD) has to ring the bell, the unrest in the Schwerin plenary hall is too great, the heckling is too loud, the drumming on the tables. You are still “in the heart of democracy” reminds the state parliament president and threatens to end the emergency session. Welcome to the state parliament of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the opposition from the CDU, FDP and Greens would like to expand the commission of inquiry into the controversial climate foundation and is accused of a “smut campaign” by the red-red state government. The scheduled debate on the subject includes several rounds of shouting at each other.
Hannes Damm, energy policy spokesman for the Greens in the state parliament, complains that the state government did not submit all correspondence between the state chancellery and Nord Stream to the committee, only e-mails, no notes, no WhatsApp messages. Who had the idea for the foundation? Was their charter created with the support of a law firm serving Nord Stream, as media reports suggested? These are just two questions that the Greens want answers to. After the magazine Cicero had revealed that a tax officer had burned lost tax documents in the fireplacethere is also the suspicion “that parts of the state government could have influenced the tax procedure in order to prevent the information both from the committee of inquiry and from the public.”
“This is the biggest, most mendacious smear campaign”
Julian Barlen, leader of the SPD parliamentary group, accuses the opposition of “conspiracy theories”. “This is the biggest, most mendacious smear campaign that our beautiful federal state has ever seen,” he says angrily. He is concerned about Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s reputation. As if the Russian cliques in the northeast weren’t the problem, but rather the investigative committee that wants to clear them up. Documents that the government itself handed over to the committee of inquiry are being punctured one by one and sent to the media for scandal. Barlen speaks of “Trumpization of politics,” and behind him the Prime Minister smiles.
Manuela Schwesig (SPD) also uses the word conspiracy theory in her speech. For minutes she lists who supported the construction of the pipeline at the time. Various German companies were involved, the then Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and the state parliament itself. “They act as if we did it for Putin and Russia,” she says. We have always acted in the interests of the people and the country.
Most recently, the head of government was confronted with new inconsistencies. The emergency meeting is also accompanied by new revelations. The Baltic newspaper published several emails from Nord Stream spokesman Steffen Ebert to Manuela Schwesig. In it he provides the head of government with studies that are intended to prove that a new pipeline will have a positive effect on gas prices. He describes threats of US sanctions as “colonial threats in perfection”. He makes suggestions on how to react to critical questions from journalists. Before a background discussion with media representatives in the State Chancellery, he asked for the participation of a Nord Stream representative “to record and record statements and questions and answers”.
“Absurd”
Government spokesman Andreas Timm described the accusation that Schwesig had deliberately allowed himself to be steered by lobbyists as “absurd”https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/. “The state government has always made its decisions independently”. The e-mails were also received on a central, public account. “That does not automatically mean that the Prime Minister personally took note of the news.”
“Of course there were talks with Nord Stream,” says Manuela Schwesig in front of the parliament. It is the task of the state government to talk to large investors. “I reject the idea that this should automatically be influence.” She emphasizes again that she only found out about the burned tax files from the press. The process was a serious mistake, but it was also cleared up. Instead, the impression was given nationwide that the government had exerted unauthorized influence. “Stop the rioting opposition!” demands Schwesig. The President of the State Parliament has to ring the bell again, the protest from the benches is so loud.